


Heart Strings

by Jennart



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Other, cisco being nice, good villain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 19:06:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18212372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jennart/pseuds/Jennart
Summary: A new villain has arrived, with a particularly attractive sidekick. Cisco has a talk with them after a coincidental meeting in a coffee shop.Warnings: None!Squicks: None!Genre: RomanceAll of my reader inserts are gender neutral!





	1. Chapter 1

As usual, a new villain had appeared in Central City. This criminal had the power to control lightning. The group had to be very careful- Barry’s power was formed by lightning, after all. Cisco walked around S.T.A.R. Labs, tapping his chin. There is always more than one way to solve a problem, after all. After a punch to the arm from Caitlin, Cisco sat down and swiveled in his chair. After a moment, Barry spoke up.

“Okay, everyone. We need to take a break. Let’s sleep on this, we can solve it in the morning,” In a split second, Barry was gone, only a rush of wind left in his wake. Caitlin picked up some papers that fell to the floor before putting them neatly on the desk.

“You know he is right., Cisco. Get some rest,” She patted him on the back before walking out. Cisco flicked off the light switch and looked behind him at the empty lab before leaving.

He didn’t know where he was going, just that he had to go somewhere. He ended up at an unfamiliar coffee shop- not Jitters, he didn’t want to be around people he knew. Walking in, the door’s bell made a quiet ding as the door opened. There were only a few people milling around, coffee at such an hour was not common. Cisco’s eyes were drawn to a stranger typing on a laptop, nestled into a corner table, seeming to be in their own little world. They looked familiar, but he couldn’t place where he had seen them. He ordered his sugar loaded coffee before walking over.

“Mind if I take this seat?” Cisco didn’t wait for an answer, he was already pulling out the chair. The person in front of him smirked.

“Not taking no for an answer, I presume?” The stranger laughed as Cisco made himself comfortable.

“No way I’m letting this cute stranger sit alone,” He winked at them. The stranger laughed once more. Cisco was entranced by the sound, it seemed to envelop the space. It sounded like bells, and he knew that he wanted to hear more of it.

The conversation ran smoothly, Cisco trying to coax information out of the stranger, but ending up telling them things about himself instead.

“Come on! This isn’t fair! You know so much about me and I don’t even know your name!” He pouted. The stranger sighed with a smile and closed their laptop. They scooted closer and looked straight at Cisco, who also moved closer to get a good look at their face.

“Your eyes. They’re…” He froze for a moment. He knew those eyes. The accomplice of the meta he and the team were currently hunting. The only thing seen above their mask was their eyes.

“Holy shit! I know why I recognize you!” He stood up quickly, his chair falling backward. If anyone else were still in the building, they would have looked over at the outburst.

“Oh yeah? Why is that?” They were teasing him, their elbows resting on the table, chin in hand, eyes looking up innocently through their lashes. When the accomplice made no move to attack, Cisco carefully picked his chair up and sat back down, not taking his eyes off the criminal.

“You work with him,” Cisco practically spat out the word. They sighed.

“And to think we were getting along so well,” They rolled their eyes, picking up their bag from beside them and slowly putting their stuff away, “I was wondering when you would figure it out,” They stood up and turned towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Cisco was confused. Were they just going to leave? No insults, no fighting, no need to call Barry?

“Well, I just assumed you didn’t want to talk to me. We are enemies, after all. Not that I wanted it that way, but well. Things happen,” They shrugged before settling their bag on their shoulders.

“Sit down,” Cisco didn’t know where his courage was coming from, but he didn’t care. Looking surprised by his authoritative tone, the villain sat back down, plopping their bag on the floor. There was silence for a few moments before Cisco gathered the courage to speak.

“First off: what’s your name? Your real name?” There was a moment’s silence before he received a response.

“…It’s Y/N,” Their head turned, looking out the window at the dark road. Their hands hugged their sides, coffee cold and long forgotten. In this state, they looked so vulnerable. Cisco wanted nothing more than to help them. He wondered what they had gone through, what the mastermind had done to them.

“Why do you follow him? Do you know the things he’s done? The people he’s killed? The crimes he’s-” Y/N interrupted him before he could finish the thought.

“He has my heart,” Y/N sipped on their coffee, most certainly cold by now.

“I know it feels like it, but-” He was interrupted once more.

“No. I’m talking my literal heart. The thing that pumps blood. He has a friend who… Well, my heart is in a safety deposit box in Moscow,” Y/N had a concerned and nervous look on their face as they scratched their neck, swirling their cold coffee.

“…Holy shit,” His hand reached out and grabbed their wrist, and indeed Y/N had no pulse. They pulled their arm back, feeling the spot where Cisco had just touched as if confirming what he was saying was still right.

“I don’t understand, and I don’t care. I’m just glad to be alive. But… If I leave… If I stop following him… I’m afraid of what will happen to me,” Cisco didn’t know what to do, but he knew that he had to help Y/N.

“I’ve been trying to sabotage him in little ways, so he won’t notice. Just enough to slow him down,” Y/N’s hands were in their lap now, thumbs twiddling nervously. They had never told another soul of what had been done to them for fear of consequences. However, Cisco made them feel safe enough to let a little information divulge, especially since the coffee shop was long empty.

There was a loud ding from the clock as midnight came. Y/N shot up, the sound surprising them.

“I have to go, Cisco. Thanks for… talking with me. It feels good to tell someone,” Y/N ran a hand through their hair, trying to make themself leave.

“You know…” Cisco piped up, “We have stopped a lot of metas, and we will stop him to. Then we can get your heart back and everything will be okay,” He wanted to comfort them, to tell them what they wanted to hear, but also to say it out loud so that he could hear his own words and would have to stand by them.

“Thank you, Cisco. Really. But I don’t think it will be that easy,” Y/N looked down at their feet as they slowly moved towards the door, Cisco following close behind.

“Well, at least I’m going to try. You deserve better than this,” Cisco pointed at them with a determined look on his face.

“…Why? I’m just a criminal. A coward,” Y/N said, their voice barely more than a whisper. Cisco grabbed their hand, pulling it to his chest and placing it over his heart.

“We can do this, together. We are a team, and we certainly have room for another on it,” He smiled gently, “Plus. I would hate to lose such a snarky cohort, yeah? I promise on my heart that I will get yours back,” He dropped their hand at last before stepping out the door. Y/N pulled their warm hand to their chest, placing it over their own heart.

“Cisco?” He let out a questioning ‘hm’ before a hand reached and grabbed his own. He looked towards Y/N. They were looking the other direction, pink dusting their face. Cisco’s smile grew. He squeezed the hand that was in his own.

“Thank you,” without warning, Y/N leaned towards him and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. He wondered how someone without a pulse could make him feel so warm, but he knew for sure he intended to find out, and that started with saving them.


	2. Part 2

It was quiet in S.T.A.R. Labs. Cisco held Y/N’s hand tightly, concerned over how his teammates would react to this new development.

“Well… We must run some tests so we can be sure Y/N is telling the truth,” Caitlin, the voice of reason, was always eager to have more friends for the team. However, to the other people of the lab, the story seemed unlikely.

“Of course. It’s only fair, after all I have done. I’ve tried to help, I promise-” Y/N began.

“You can stop,” Barry held up his hand to stop them, “We believe you. Your pulse is gone, after all,” His soft smile comforted both Cisco and Y/N. “…But still. We need to be positive you are on our side now. Yeah, the pulse is comforting though. Creepy, too.”

Caitlin shrugged, “Yeah, you can’t really trick a good, old fashioned stethoscope!” The group was quick to push aside the thought of Y/N’s crimes. Before Y/N could bring up their thankfulness about moving past it so quickly, Cisco spoke.

“Okay! Let’s get planning!”

It wasn’t long before there were scattered pieces of paper and tech all over the table. The plan was simple- Barry and Cisco would distract the lightning wielder and his lackeys while Y/N and Caitlin would go retrieve their heart in its current location, Moscow. Cisco wanted to be with Y/N: his protective instincts didn’t want them to go so far without him in tow. But, the plan was set and there was no fighting it. Cisco desperately hoped that they would be alright.

“We can do this, Cisco. No need to worry,” Caitlin patted his shoulder softly, heading to the car that would take them to the nearest airport.

Y/N stood in front of Cisco. Their hands were linked, but there was nothing but silence for a long moment.

“Come back to me safely,” Cisco whispered. There was nothing else he could say or anything that could describe the crushing worry and pressure he felt. If he and Barry failed to distract the enemies for long enough, Y/N and Caitlin would both be in trouble. Y/N couldn’t speak either: they were scared their voice would crack and tears would spill. Y/N leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Cisco’s cheek before turning away. Cisco’s arm trailed after them, hanging in the air after they were gone.

And so, his job began.

He and Barry walked out into the empty street. He had some tech in hand, eyes darting left and right. Nothing would get past him and Barry. He would not allow it, there would be no way unless he was dead. There was a noise, and his head darted forward, hand gripping the trigger of his newest creation, ready for what was to come.

-

The plane landed smoothly, no sign of an issue to Y/N or Caitlin. It was a quiet ride to the home; the home of the one who held the key to the safety deposit box which they needed to get into.

The fight only lasted a few moments, the element of surprise allowing them to quickly take over the criminal and tie him up. The key was soon found, and the pair were out the door, not worrying about the criminal calling for help. The bank was close- the pair would be gone before another criminal could get to them.

The ride to the bank was uneventful, though the air was permeated with anxiety and dread. Upon entering, nothing surprising happened, and it did not take long for Caitlin and Y/N to get to the safety deposit boxes. Y/N felt as if their heart was pounding, which was impossible as they didn’t have one. The closer they got, the stronger the feeling got.

Y/N held the box close to their chest as the pair walked out. They could practically feel the beat through the box. Once they were back in the car, Y/N opened the box and carefully lifted the organ, removing their own shirt and preparing themselves for what was to come. Caitlyn looked over nervously, scalpel in hand.

-

The fight on the street had ended, but the battle was yet to be over.

The car pulled up to S.T.A.R. Labs. Before it had even stopped, Cisco was outside and waiting to see Y/N. The door opened, and Caitlin came out. There was a moment of panic as she looked behind her, concern on her face. However, his fears were calmed as Y/N stepped out, wobbly and tired looking. There was blood on their shirt from putting their heart back, but everything ended well. The magic that held their heart far away also made it easy to replace it safely.

He hugged them tightly, cradling their weak form to his chest. They let out a breathy laugh.

“Man, I never realized how weird a heartbeat felt, or how much I missed it,” Cisco laughed as well, and Caitlin had a smile on her face.

“I hate to ruin the moment, but we have a problem,” Barry had just rushed out of the building, a trail of papers flying behind him.

The group was back on the street once again, preparing for battle. Luckily, thanks to Barry and Cisco’s effort, the group in front of them was much smaller than before. With Y/N, the group would surely win, the odds in their favor. The battle began, and the tides were in favor of the heroes as expected, but there was a commotion as Y/N’s hood was thrown back by a combination of the wind and their rapid movement.

Time seemed to freeze as the lightning wielder and leader of the opposing group stared down their old ally.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Y/N was nervous, but they didn’t hesitate when they responded.

“I’m fighting for what is right,” Cisco looked over to his partner, proud of what they were doing. He jogged over and clasped his hand over their own.

“You have NO IDEA what you’re doing, Y/N. I OWN YOU. Your heart is locked up safely away, and when I say the word, IT WILL BE CRUSHED,” He yelled, clearly angered by the situation he had been placed in. He was losing, and his old partner was the cause of it. Y/N was calm when they answered as he pulled out a phone, angered when he got no response from his ally in Moscow.

“No, Stormy,” The silly nickname made him twitch, “You hold no power over me anymore,” Y/N turned towards Cisco, “My heart is safe and sound, in my own body where it belongs, in fact. The only one my heart belongs to now is Cisco,” to prove their point, Y/N hugged Cisco tightly. The smile on their faces only solidified his anger. The sky crackled and clouds swirled, but nothing happened. He knew he was beaten at his own game, and there was nothing he could do to reclaim the situation. He tried to run, but Barry ran faster.

In just a few moments, Barry had him tied up and taken away.

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, a party was being held. Pizza was bought, Netflix was playing, and everyone was laughing.

Y/N was nervous still, knowing their past would haunt them for ages. Cisco noticed the subtle change in Y/N and squeezed their hand.

“We’re in this together, all right? They can’t hurt you anymore.” Y/N sighed and leaned their head on his shoulder.

“Yeah. We’re in this together,” They smiled: they truly believed it, the first time they had been able to trust someone so wholly and know they would not get hurt in the end. But still, the thoughts lingered. How could Cisco love them with all the destruction they had caused?

Y/N decided that their fears were not important now- they pushed them to the corner of their mind. All that mattered now was the person next to them, and the pizza on the table they had been craving for ages.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I am currently working on crossposting all of my work from tumblr. Chapter one was written 2/21/18 and chapter 2 on 3/19/18.
> 
> All of my reader inserts are gender neutral! If you find a grammar or pronoun error, please tell me so I can correct it! Requests are always open.


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